Engine Exhaust System problems of the 2003 Toyota Camry

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the intake and exhaust manifold failed. The vehicle was inspected at a local repair shop where the contact was informed that the manifold needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

I am the original owner. At 65,000 miles I noticed white smoke from the exhaust pipe on morning startup. Research led me to the engine head not being secured because of the stripped bolt problem. I started using a dip stick to measure the amount of coolant in my overflow bottle before morning startup. I physically mark the dip stick. The coolant loss is minimal sofar. I now have 85,000 miles on the car. The question do I dare take the car on the highway? apparently there is not enough money to be made for a law office to start a class action suit.

Consumers 2003 Toyota Camry has brake problems, water leaks in the trunk and gas reservoir, doors do not close properly releasing air into the driver side door. Smoke would emit from the exhaust on cold starts. The engine valve stem seals were replaced due to loss of tension and oil was leaking into the cylinders. The strut supports were replaced due them being worn. The power steering rack was leaking, the engine mount was cracked and the battery was leaking. The consumer also stated there was a vibration coming from the brakes when they were applied. There was a hole in the dashboard. Updated 04/223/10.

Vehicle is 2003 Toyota Camry xle - 1st incident occurred 10-27-06 - oil light came on, stopped at full service station, less than 1/2 qt low, cranked car & light was off, went approx 25 miles, pulled up to stop sign, car died, wouldn't crank, had car towed to dealership, they ran quick test & got code p0340, found intake cam broken, engine dirty, pickup stopped up,intake& exhaust cam stuck in cylinder head, gave estimate for used engine, car had 56,738 miles & was under power train warranty, they said due to oil sludge, blamed on not changing oil, had all maintenance records, accused my mechanic of falsifying docs but finally agreed to repair. They did not replace engine, they replaced cylinder heads, cams, valves, timing chain & guides, oil pickup, cleaned engine & reassembled. 2nd incident - mid may 2009 - driving, no lights came on, car started losing power & smoking bad, pulled over, oil was splattered causing smoking, was not running hot, still had some oil even after splattering, towed to mechanic, he said due to sludge, damage included 3 holes in block, 1 hole in oil pan, #4 connecting rod damaged bad, #4 piston shattered, #4 cylinder head damaged, engine a total loss, still have old engine, car has not been repaired. Toyota gave me a case #, then on 06-24-09 Toyota denied any kind of repair stating the 2003's were not covered under the class action lawsuit & car was too far outside warranty. Car has approx 96,000 miles. Toyota claims they corrected the problem with the new engines after 2001, but apparently the new engines have the same problem as the ones in the lawsuit. They should be held accountable, too many Toyota owners are having this same problem. I have all my maintenance records showing timely oil changes. I could have had an accident causing injury and/or death to myself or persons in incoming traffic when this occurred. Thank god no one was injured.

Due to anti freeze leak the mechanic found leak to be coming from cylinder head gasket, when head was removed found 3 center bolts were loose, threads were stripped and damaged. I was told this is a defect in 2003 4 cyl Toyota Camry engines. Dealer would not cover, as it was repaired elsewhere.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact stated the vehicle was at the dealer for an unrelated repair. When she received the vehicle back, there was an unusual grinding noise from the exhaust system. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where she was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired. The failure persisted. Updated 07/30/10. Updated 09/30/10 the consumer stated he would like for someone to respond to her complaint. Updated evoq 10/13/jb.

The exhaust system on my 03 Camry hangs down. It is 4 inches off the ground. I have tried to get Toyota to fix it but they say it's the design intent. I'm afraid that if the car bottoms out the system will fly off the car. I watch two people die because a muffler flew off a vehicle and wedged itself into the gas tank of a truck. It caught the highway on fire and killed the guys in the truck. The system is not installed on the car correctly. There is a bracket that is not hooked up and the system does not tuck into the exhaust channel. All the Camry and other models on this frame are like this. Please help.